Maggie Steber
b. 1949; Austin, Texas. She lives in Miami.
I photograph people. I am interested in people’s stories, not only about themselves but also about where they live. Miami is a city where we see people from all over the world who call this place home. This is its beauty and character. I made these photographs when Miami was still more innocent in many ways. Living here is like not living in the United States but in a magical place where the people bring their cultures, histories, talents, and even their woes. People come here to disappear, to change their lives, to find work, peace, and beauty. Miami is called the Magic City, and it is, in so many ways.
I am a photographer because I’m curious about the world. I’m interested in the world, in places, in people, in history and cultures, and even in nature. My role as a photographer is to tell stories to inform people, to document history and memory. Photographs are all about memory, and we need these memories to remind us of family, of nature’s beauty, and even of wars and famine and the worst things, in hopes that by remembering, we will not make the same mistakes. I think photography can save us, and it has saved me in many ways, giving me a way to be in this world and to understand it and celebrate it.
Maggie Steber
www.maggiesteber.com
WOPHA Congress
from October 23 to 26, 2024
www.wophacongress.org
www.wopha.org
